I Want To Live
by krsw1151
Summary: All May wants is to live in her own spotlight but she doesn't know how to make that happen. A little advice pushes her to take action. Contestshipping


**I Want To Live**

"Maple? Are you related to Norman Maple by any chance?"

There it was again. It was a question that had been asked time and time again and it would probably continue being asked until May was dead. The question itself had various forms and different words were used, but regardless, it was still the same question. Over the years, the answer had become uniform, almost like she was reading from a script.

May smiled at the woman and nodded. "Yes. He's my father."

The woman gasped and May mentally steeled herself. "Really? Oh wow! To think I'd meet a Gym Leader's daughter today. I can't believe it!"

May continued to smile and nod as the woman said the standard things of, "I've always admired him, he's a strong trainer!" and "You're really lucky to have him as a dad, aren't you?" and so on and so on.

The woman had glimpsed at her trainer ID when May pulled her wallet out to buy a drink. That's all it took, that's all it ever took. The second people saw the name Maple, they immediately thought of Norman Maple, a top four Gym Leader of Hoenn. Every so often they would hear her name and want to talk about Contests, but usually it was about her father. Just as it always had been.

Eventually the woman ran out of compliments to give about her father and bid May a good day. She just bowed her head slightly and returned the gesture, a slightly strained smile adorning her face. When she was gone, May let out a tired sigh, a sigh that had been born years and years ago.

She sunk down on a near bench and took a sip of her drink, an iced tea that felt good in the warm spring of Hoenn. She gazed about and people watched as her thoughts wandered. She was sixteen now, this being her second circuit of Hoenn, and she was in the heart of the Grand Festival. She had come far since her days as a rookie, scoring top eight in two Grand Festivals and top four in three. As she climbed the ladder of achievements, she thought that her name would start to shine more.

But no matter what, everytime it was _May,_ five other times it would be _Norman_.

She let another sigh out and took a long sip of her drink, almost choking when a voice sounded almost right next to her ear.

"What's got you down, April?"

May didn't even have to turn around to know that voice. Clearing her throat, she resumed her people watching. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

She couldn't see it, but she was sure that Drew was smirking. "If I didn't, I wouldn't have asked."

May huffed. Drew didn't sit next to her, opting to lean over the back of the bench with his arms folded. It reminded May vaguely of that time in Kanto, when they began the next phase of their lives as they watched the sun set.

"So what is it?" Drew prompted after she was silent for too long.

May swirled her drink around, replying in a tired voice, "It's stupid honestly. Plus you wouldn't understand."

"Try me."

May shook her head and laughed slightly. "You're almost as nosy as Harley." She paused. "This."

Drew cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean 'this'?"

" _This._ " she gestured around her at the crowds, vendors and Pokémon. She leaned back against the bench, hair lightly brushing Drew's arm. "Do you have any idea what it's like to be the daughter of a Gym Leader?" Drew couldn't respond before she continued. "Growing up, everyone said I would be an amazing trainer just like my dad, I would conquer the League. But… I never wanted that. It was always Max's thing, to follow in our father's footsteps. When I became a Coordinator, I thought it was finally my chance to make a name for myself, to be known as May Maple, the Coordinator. Not May Maple, Norman's daughter."

Drew studied her. She sounded tired, a tired he had never associated with May. "How is that stupid?"

She finally turned around to look at him, her look questioning. "Huh?"

Drew sighed and didn't look at her, he just kept his gaze forward at the sea of people. "You said it was a stupid thing to complain about, but it's not. You just want to be known for yourself, not because of your family."

"I'm surprised you get it."

Drew shrugged. "It's normal to not want to live in your parents shadow, trust me."

"You ever feel like that?"

Drew didn't say anything, instead he turned his head and finally looked at her. "Not anymore."

For some reason, the answer didn't shock May as much it would a random person. Drew didn't talk about his family much, but she ventured a guess that it wasn't the greatest backstory. But she never pried, believing he would tell her one day.

"What are you going to do about it?" He asked.

May bit her lip, not knowing the answer even if she had asked herself that very same question practically her entire life. "There's nothing _to_ do."

Drew chuckled slightly. He pushed himself off the bench and came around but didn't sit. Instead he put his hands in his pockets and looked down at her. "Yeah there is."

"What then?"

"Realize what you want and strive to reach that goal." he said. "You train to be a Top Coordinator, it's the same deal as becoming your own person. Say what you want and don't stop until you've obtained it, no matter how long it takes."

Without waiting for her reply, he turned around and disappeared into the crowd. May watched until she couldn't see him anymore. His words bounced in her head, repeating themselves over and over again. Slowly, her gaze drifted toward the building in the near distance. The stadium, the same stadium that she had competed in all those years ago. So much had changed and so much had stayed the same.

She stood and took Drew's advice. As she began her walk in the stadiums direction, she formed her new goal. Actually putting it into words and not just some thoughtless desire.

She wanted to live in her own spotlight, not her father's. And in order to do that, she needed to achieve her main goal.

With every step she took, that goal became closer and closer.

 **End**

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 **Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed.**


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